The book addresses for the first time the dynamics associated with the
modernization of mathematics in China from the nineteenth to the
mid-twentieth century from a transcultural global historical
perspective. Rather than depict the transformations of mathematical
knowledge in terms of a process of westernization, the book analyzes the
complex interactions between different scientific communities and the
ways in which the past, modernity, language, and mathematics were
negotiated in a global context.
In each chapter, Andrea Bréard provides vivid portraits of a series of
go-betweens (such as translators, educators, or state statisticians)
based on a vast array of translated primary sources hitherto unavailable
to a non-Chinese readership. They not only illustrate how Chinese
scholars mediated between new mathematical objects and discursive modes,
but also how they instrumentalized their autochthonous scientific roots
in specific political and intellectual contexts. While sometimes
technical in style, the book addresses all readers who are interested in
the global and cultural history of science and the complexities involved
in the making of universal mathematics.
"While the pursuit of modernity is in the title, entanglement is of as
much interest. Using the famous 'Nine Chapters' as a framework, Bréard
considers a wide range of that entanglement from divination to data
management. Bréard's analysis and thought-provoking insights show once
again how much we can learn when two cultures intersect. A fascinating
read!" (John Day, Boston University).